Negotiating a Privilege: The Albanian and Gypsy Diasporas from the Ottoman Empire to the Kingdom of Naples in the Early Modern Period, a Comparative Perspective (15th–17th Centuries)

The fall of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman expansion in the eastern Mediterranean reshaped the political and cultural landscape of the entire eastern Balkans. These transformations encouraged the displacement of various segments of the population. Among them, two groups, Albanians and Gypsies, crossed the Mediterranean and took refuge in southern Italy, each driven by different motivations. This article offers a comparative analysis of the Albanian and Gypsy diasporas, two concurrent migratory experiences which, despite originating from similar geographical and historical contexts, produced profoundly different patterns of settlement and integration in the Kingdom of Naples between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. By critically engaging with the concept of diaspora, the study highlights the negotiation strategies employed by these minority groups, the forms of marginalisation or protection they encountered, and the institutional mechanisms that shaped their access to privileges. The resulting comparison provides insight into the processes of collective identity formation, the boundaries between inclusion and exclusion, and the role of religion and memory in legitimising group belonging.

Keywords: Albanians, Gypsies, Diaspora, Mediterranean Migration, Kingdom of Naples.

Maria Gloria Tumminelli, Negoziare un privilegio: le diaspore di albanesi e zingari dall’Impero ottomano al Regno di Napoli nella prima età moderna, una prospettiva comparata (XV-XVII secc.) in "SOCIETÀ E STORIA " 189/2025, pp 539-570, DOI: 10.3280/SS2025-189002